


Unparalleled Love

by Serafina Claremond (r_nniiii)



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Post-Descendants 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 16:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15440865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/r_nniiii/pseuds/Serafina%20Claremond
Summary: When the daughter of Eric and Ariel returns to Auradon, she comes to save her people. But her sudden reappearance forces Ben to choose between his love for his kingdom or his love for Mal. / Various OCs, slight canon divergence





	1. Chapter 1

**Part One**   
_Love is irrelevant to people like us._


	2. I

**_I  
_ ** _ "Some people seem to fade away but then when they are truly gone, it's like they didn't fade away at all." _

Ben thought he saw her first. But there was something about the way she was looking at him from across Auradon Prep’s grassy courtyard, and he was convinced she’d seen him first. There was a gnawing familiarity about her, from the smirk she was wearing to her swaying hips, as she traipsed towards him, with Fairy Godmother struggling to keep up on her much shorter legs.

His focus was lost, forgetting what he was even saying to his friends, and eventually decided to stop speaking entirely. Mal whipped her head away from him to find the source of distraction. The rest of their friends followed suit, and it was Mal who noted, “That girl does not look like a princess.” 

In truth, she didn’t: she was wearing a lavender top that exposed a sliver of her waist and black leather pants and flip-flops. Of course, Evie gasped from the other side of the table, reaching for her boyfriend’s hand beside her, and asked, “Is she wearing flip-flops?” 

Ben felt his girlfriend’s hair rustling against his arm, and dropped his gaze, smiling upon seeing how she was ogling the mystery girl’s pants. “You’re obsessed with the pants, aren’t you?” 

Without taking her eyes off the girl, Mal nodded absentmindedly and he laughed, looking back up to catch Fairy Godmother throwing worried glances at her shoulder, since she didn’t seem bothered by her cardigan slipping off. He knew from experience that no princess would be caught dead dressed like that, at their prestigious academy or even on vacation. Maybe she was a normal citizen who didn’t know how the children of Auradon’s elite were expected to live. In a hazy fog, he murmured, “She can’t be one of us.” 

Evie, now breathless, asked, “How is her hair doing that? It’s _ tres magnifique. _ ” 

Her dark auburn hair moved through the wind like it was water: slow and graceful and ethereal. Ben answered, “Practice. She must be from Coastal City Kingdom.” 

He still didn’t recognize her, and it bothered him. Between the shoe choice and the way she walked, she had to be a citizen of the beachy kingdom where Eric and Ariel reigned as the Duke and Duchess with their two daughters. Their marriage successfully united the kingdoms of Atlantica and Flowerhaven, a few years before his father established Auradon.  _ Maybe she was a mermaid of Atlantica, _ he thought,  _ but that would be a violation of magic. _

Jay, seated between Carlos and Doug, asked, “Coastal City is the only kingdom that allows magical creatures to live there, right?” 

“All kingdoms have magical creatures,” the King said, gently correcting the former thief, “as most fairies choose to reside in Auroria with Phillip and Aurora, and the Genie lives in Agrabah with Aladdin. Coastal City is simply known as--” 

“The first and only kingdom where magical creatures are well-regarded, safe, and treated well by the reigning King and Queen.” The mystery girl, and Fairy Godmother, arrived at their table, with a bright, dazzling smile as she finished Ben’s answer for him. A pang of familiarity shot through his heart, the way it did when he found an old childhood toy he’d loved so much. But he still couldn’t place who she was. She pulled her knit cardigan back over her shoulders, much to Fairy Godmother’s unconcealed delight, and greeted him with a small wave. “Hey Ben.” 

Even the way she said hello flooded him with nostalgia and he was unable to speak. Her words hung over their heads, and before the headmistress could correct her, her eyes widened. “I mean, Prince Ben. King Ben!” 

Ben rose from his seat and she curtsied, explaining, “It’s a big adjustment, your majesty, now that you’re super important now.” 

There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and as she straightened her back, he looked into her green eyes, sparkling in the sunlight. He stuttered, “I-I’m sorry, how do we know each other?” 

“You ass,” she replied, eyes still shining. Fairy Godmother chirped with disapproval, but the Villain Kids roared with laughter. Even Doug wore a sheepish grin. “You become king and forget about all your friends? I thought I taught you better growing up.” 

_ Who was this girl? _ He said, “Most of my childhood friends are with me here.” 

“You’re kidding,” she deadpanned, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Do you need me to sing for you?” 

From the corner of his eye, he could see Mal giving him a nervous look and scratching beneath her purple leather gloves -- the single concession of personal style she’d received during her Lady of the Court training. His thoughts moved back to the pretty girl before him, trying to understand why singing would remind him of who she--

“ _ Layla _ ?” 

She laughed - it was the same as when they were children - and opened her arms to hug him, but Fairy Godmother stepped between them, interrupting their reunion. “King Ben, now that she is of age, the princess must go by her given name.” 

The headmistress turned to the table and gestured for them to bow and curtsy in the presence of royalty. They all gave half-hearted attempts based on Mal’s reaction, except Doug, who was now standing in his seat with a smile.

“May I present to you all, Princess Athena Margrethe Lavender of Coastal City Kingdom, heir apparent to the Duke and Duchess--” 

“Really, I’d like to still go by Layla,” she cut in, interrupting her introduction, and shot daggers at the back of Fairy Godmother’s head. But her face softened when Ben managed to make eye contact with her again. “Even Princess Layla if you insist on being formal.” 

“Only in informal social settings,” the fairy sang, finally moving so there was nothing between Ben and his old friend. “Don’t forget, Princess Athena, you will still need to swing by my office later to finish your registration for classes.” 

As soon as she was out of earshot, the princess threw her head back and groaned. “I insist you call me Layla, your majesty.” 

“Only if you quit it with the formalities, L,” Ben said, with no control over the affection dripping in his voice, which he knew his friends would pick up on. 

She turned to address them, “Lavender is an awful name.” 

“No one will agree with you on that, Margrethe,” Doug teased, walking over to pull her into a hug. 

“At least that’s a hand-me-down!” She exclaimed into Doug’s chest. “It’s ridiculous that of the three names they bestow on me, the original one is fucking Lavender.” 

Evie gasped and covered her mouth with her gloved hand. “I’ve never heard a princess swear. Or use sarcasm. I would’ve thought that was covered in day one of princess training.” 

“It is,” Mal deadpanned. Ben gave her an apologetic look. 

“I don’t think I would’ve survived all the princess bullshit without being able to ever swear. Because of them, at them, etcetera,” Layla replied. “Worse if I was stuck alone with Audrey and I couldn’t swear. Oops, sorry Ben.” 

The insincerity in her apology was clear, but the King still said, “No apology necessary. Audrey and I are no longer together.” 

“Oh thank goodness,” she said, throwing her hand onto her chest and eyes lighting up. “That’s the most amazing news I’ve heard all day.” 

Ben smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but Carlos asked, “How could you not hear? Their new royal tour was televised.” 

Squaring her shoulders, Layla replied, “We don’t have televisions in Coastal Kingdom. We have some technology in Seaside Castle, but for the most part, my kingdom is underdeveloped.” 

“I’m sorry, L,” Ben murmured, finally giving her a hug, “I’ve been working on getting more funding to you guys. The politics just make it difficult.” 

She waved him off and changed the subject back to his romantic life. “So who’s the lucky girl you’re dating now?” 

Ben heard Evie kick Mal under the table, but he said, “You act like I’m some Lothario; what makes you think I’m already dating someone new?” 

“As if. Every little princess was in love with you. It was so hard to be your friend while everyone else was trying to become the next Queen of Auradon.” She turned to the others and whispered loudly, “Don’t listen to him, he loved the attention.” 

“I am your king now, I demand your respect,” he said, puffing his chest out, but he couldn’t keep the wide grin off his face for long. Layla doubled over in laughter. Ben picked her up into a bear hug and swung her around, her laugh continuing to ring through the daylight. 

“How come you didn’t want to be Queen?” Uma asked from the other end of the table, her first words since Layla arrived. 

She shrugged. “I’ve never had any desire to leave my people behind. Being Queen means living in Auradon City for the better part of the year, and I love my home too much.” 

“And she never let me forget it,” Ben added. Smiling and breathless, he said, “I can’t believe you’re here.” 

“Dad’s always wanted me to spend at least a year of school in formal training for whenever I take over the kingdom. I think he was tired of me leaving a trail of water everywhere.” She sat down between Mal and Ben and said, “But anyway, enough about me, let’s focus on  _ you _ .” 

With a meek smile, Mal extended her hand. Layla asked, “You’re the new girlfriend right? I saw your best friend look at you when Ben’s love life came up.” 

“Mal, daughter of Maleficent. And King Ben’s Lady of the Court,” she added the last bit with a flourishing hand gesture. 

“Nice to meet you.”

Evie shook Layla’s hand and smiled widely. “I’m Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen.” 

“More importantly,” Layla pointed at her, “you’re Snow’s step-sister.” 

“I haven’t met her yet. I don’t think she knows I’m here.” 

“Of course she does!” the brunette exclaimed. “It was a royal decree; even we received the news in our little technologically-inferior beach. It’s a big deal that you’re all here.” 

“Oh.”

Ben felt the daggers Layla shot at him with her eyes. “She has been here for more than six months and you haven’t brought Snow to meet her step-sister?” 

“It’s been a busy six months, L!” The king defended himself, lifting his hands in surrender. “Did I tell you I was kidnapped during my first trip to the Isle?” 

Crossing her arms over her chest, she made an incomprehensible noise, one Ben knew well from their childhood: it was how she admitted defeat. He moved the introductions along and pointed at the white-haired boy holding a dog in his lap. “This is Carlos.” 

“Son of Cruella D’ville,” he said, shifting Dude around to properly shake the princess’s hand from across the table.

Without meaning to, she shuddered, and quickly apologized, “Sorry, anyone that mistreats animals is a no-go in my books. But  _ you _ are holding a dog, so you must be pretty great.” 

Evie said, “He’s the greatest.” 

“I’m the son of Jafar. The name’s Jay.” Ben squinted at him; Jay’s smolder usually worked, but he doubted Layla would be susceptible. 

The sea princess gushed, the nostalgia flooding her eyes, “Agrabah is one of my favorite kingdoms to visit. We used to go once every few years. The food is amazing.” 

His gaze dropped down to his feet, and he admitted, “I’ve never been, Princess. I don’t know what it’s like, much less what the food tastes like.”

“Ben!” She whipped her head around and glared at him for what felt like tenth time in their short reunion. “Unforgivable! We need to plan a trip for fall break. It would do all of them some good to tour the other kingdoms in Auradon.” 

He nodded in agreement and she kept speaking, “Good. Just because you hated it growing up does not mean we can let this slide.” 

“I did not hate it,” he lied, surprised at how easy it was to fall into old habits with Layla. She turned to Doug with a knowing look, and Ben backtracked. “You’re right, I did.” 

He looked over her head and saw Mal furrowing her eyebrows, and he wondered what she was thinking.  _ Maybe that I give in to easily to Layla, every single time.  _ “Are you here to criticize my every decision since bringing them over from the Isle? Because, I assure you, I have an entire council that does that already -- including your parents.” 

She laughed, and threw her head back. “I’m surprised, that’s all. We should go though, really!” 

“I know,” he said, “for the record, Layla came up with the idea to bring kids from the Isle over to Auradon. I think we were about six or seven.” 

“Does it really matter that I came up with the idea when you managed to get it through the council, before you became king?” she complimented him, poking his arm. And that’s when it hit him: Mal’s expression came from the fact he never talked about Layla. But neither did Doug, he justified. 

The VKs were discussing what order of the kingdoms they should visit, when Layla said, “I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I’ve gotten your name yet!” 

“No worries, I’m Uma.” 

“Uma,” she repeated, and extended her hand. “Not that it’s important, but can I ask who your parent is?” 

“Ursula, the sea w-witch.” 

“Oh, of course! It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve thought about this moment since I was a kid, bringing all of you here. It really gives me hope for the progress Auradon will continue to make.” 

After all these years apart, Ben could tell she was different: when they were younger, she was often scolded with her brash statements and opinionated remarks at political events. Now, she was diplomatic, her words polished, and the confidence she’d always had emphasized the regal air she naturally possessed.  _ Impressive _ , he thought,  _ considering how she used to feel about the monarchy.  _

Jay leaned forward and asked, “This is going to sound stupid, but who rules Coastal Kingdom?” 

“Ariel and Eric,” Uma said in a clipped voice. An awkward silence fell over his friends, new and old, and he saw Mal’s eyes flash green when Layla grinned at Uma and spoke about her family. 

Her eyes changed back, and she asked, “How long have you known my little Benny-Boo?” 

“Benny-Boo?” Layla laughed, with her mouth wide open and eyes closed. She looked beautiful. “I’m so glad you decided to keep that. Thank you.” 

His girlfriend finally broke out into a genuine smile and shrugged. “I do what I can.” 

“According to the official historical accounts, I met him the day he was born. I was a day old so I disagree,” she said, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and squeezing him.

He felt goosebumps run up the back of his neck, and he shook it away. “My first memory of Layla was on her second birthday. She demanded that I be thrown out for upstaging her.” 

“You dirty liar! Ben threw a tantrum,” she explained to the group, “because he convinced himself it was his party. Even though his parents had one planned for him  _ the very next day _ . I begged my mom to get rid of him, but she decided to give him one of my gifts instead.” 

“After that, our parents came to the decision to host joint birthday celebrations, to prevent another showdown.” 

“That lasted until we turned fourteen, when I came to Auradon Prep, and she stayed on the coast,” he finished their story, hoping to keep his true emotions about her choice subdued. 

“Cute,” Mal muttered under her breath, as Evie spoke over her, “Shouldn’t you have been the crown princess then, if you’re the eldest born in the kingdom.”

“I thought so,” Carlos said, shifting Dude from his lap to the ground, “because that’s what we learned in one of our history lessons. As soon as a child was born to any of the royals on the High Council, they would no longer be eligible for the throne if King Adam died or abdicated. And the eldest born child would become the crown prince or princess, to keep Auradon from being run by one family.” 

“You’re right,” Ben replied on his friend’s behalf, and Carlos beamed with satisfaction, “but there were a few contributing factors that led to me being King instead of her.” 

“Like I said before, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed being away from my people. And Auradon is, like, two hours away from the beach. Definitely a dealbreaker,” she laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Looking down at her bronze seashell watch, she said, “Oh darn, I should go meet with Fairy Godmother to finish up my registration if I want to join you all in class tomorrow. It was truly wonderful meeting all of you today!” 

Been stood up from the table with her. “Will you be at dinner tonight?” 

“Dinner?” Mal squeaked, craning her neck to look at him. He’d forgotten he didn’t tell her why he was too busy to eat dinner with them tonight. 

Layla answered for him, like when they were kids. “The children who grew up together are having a reunion dinner tonight, since they haven’t seen me in about four years. Because it’s really hard to come to the beach kingdom.” 

“I would totally visit you all the time!” Evie squealed. “Just imagine the summer fashion.”

“I’ll take you sometime, promise,” she said. “But, Mal, please tell me you’re going tonight. I cannot handle Audrey and all of them on my own.” 

“I didn’t know about it,” the half-fairy replied, careful not to glare at her boyfriend. “Besides, I don’t think I’ve even met all of them. They still tend to avoid me.” 

“And,” Ben chimed, shooting his girlfriend an apologetic look, “the invitation was very clear it was just for the royal children. I think you can survive, L, one night without--” 

“Without actual interesting people? Doug won’t be there either, remember?” she whined with a pout.

“Put the pout away,” he said, mimicking the words he often caught Evie using on Mal.  

She did as she was told and said to Mal, “I’m sorry, you won’t be joining us, and I promise I will miss you about twenty times more than Ben will.” 

The VKs laughed at her declaration and watched her scurry off to the headmistress’s office. Ben could see in their expressions that she had them all mesmerized, dazzled even. Uma said, “How come you never told me you were close with Ariel and Eric’s daughter?” 

“It never came up?” He tried, but judging by the hurt on her face, he said, “I grew up with Layla and her sister, Melody. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable since she wasn’t in Auradon anyway.” 

“I don’t know about that, Ben,” Jay commented, “you might have misjudged her.” 

Carlos agreed, nodding. “Layla is totally cool! She would never have acted like Audrey and Chad last time. They were awful.” 

“Do you think she really meant it when she said she wanted to take us around the kingdoms? To Agrabah and Coastal City?” Evie was positively swooning over her. 

But Mal waved her best friend off. “She was being nice. No way would she actually want to show us off to her family. She barely knows us, you guys. It’s called diplomacy, you never let someone know you don’t actually like them.” 

He wanted to snap at her, remind her that while some people struggled with choosing goodness, others came to it with ease. It took all of his strength not to; he didn’t want to start something by coming to the defense of some other girl. Well, not some girl: it was Layla. 

“Trust me, Mal, she really is as good-hearted as she seems. Layla’s always been the best person I knew.”  _ The best part of me _ , he thought. He was surprised how much he was realizing he missed her, since he hadn’t thought about her in a few years. But it was true, their relationship shaped him into him today. 

“Then why have you never mentioned her before?” she shot back, the edge in her voice silencing the chatter of all her friends. “It’s a little weird you’ve never even said her name in passing.” 

“Mal,” he said in a gentle voice, but she cut him off. 

“Tell me the truth, Ben. I’ve never seen you yield to anyone the way you do with her. Even if I have a small suggestion, like going to your grandpapa’s cottage for family dinner instead of here at the castle, you push back.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Who is this girl?” 

“Layla and I go way back, Doug too.” He pointed at Evie’s boyfriend, who was wearing a nervous expression. “Layla, Audrey, Chad, and a few other royal children were all in the same playgroup. Doug, Lonnie, Layla, and I, as well as Snow White’s children, Seth and Selene, had the same tutors. When the rest of us came to school here, she stayed behind to help her parents take care of the kingdom. I’m not sure any of us kept in touch with her.” 

“You’re saying, you what? You forgot about her?” 

Ben’s gaze fell because she was right. He’d forgotten about his best friend, a pang of guilt shot through his heart, because he didn’t like that she chose to let him leave. That’s what she’d done, wasn’t it? “Yeah.” 


End file.
